Flexible rack jack for balloon tires



Sept. 15, 1931.

A. s.. JoHNsoN FLEXBL RACK JACK FOR BALLOON TIRES Filed ct. 12, 1925 Sheets-Sheet Sept. l5, 191.51.

A. L. JOHNSON 0 0 0 0 0 0 o o o o o o Filed Oct. l2, 1925 2 Sheets-Shea: 2

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. S0 :o 22 sig g 96 I il "o f/ II 2 o 22 H o v Il o |l o @s f o I o 26 2?) o /7 I 26 o I o w I o 99 I o Patented Sept. 15, 1931 narran stares rsrsnrorrics ALVIN L. JOHNSON, OF WORCESTER, IESSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO W. GOULDIIG WARREN, OF' HOLDEN, 'MSSCHSETTS FLEXIBLE RACK JACK FOR BALLOO TIRES Application filed october 12, w25. Serial No. 61,914.

change an ordinary tire. New without altering the construction of the body of the car the balloon or other over-size tires with which it is equipped necessitate its being lifted a greater distano than before and still the minimum height of the jack cannot be increased because it must be low enough so that it can be put under the car when the tire is flat. Usually the course opt design for overcoming these diiiiculties has been the use ot the double o screw principle which permits of the raising oi' the load carrying support to a position nearly three times the height of the jack when in its lowest position. rlhis invention is designed tor the purpose of avoiding the exi ense ot' manufacture of that type of jack by producing a jack which can be manufactured. in quantities at very low prices and yet will accomplish the Same purpose as the double screw jack. lt will be understood of course that while this is designed especially as an automobile ach, it is capable of usefor all purposes to which jacks are adapted and has nothing about it which unfits it for any such use. The invention involves the retention ot' the rack principle which the public had supposed practically had tobe abandoned because any such rack heretofore known could rise only to an elevation twice the minimum height of the'jack as its limit.

l have discovered that this rack may be made in flexible form so as to be capableof raising the load to three timesthe normal height of the jack. or to any desired number of times within reasonable limits, and without necessi- 4'5 tating the provision of any very heavy or complicated mechanism.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter. Y

Reference is to be had to the accompany- 5o ing drawings in which Fig. l is a side view of a vjack constructed m accordance with my invention with the lower part in section;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 in Fig. l; l

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rack' taken out of the jack and shown in its position when lowered;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the rack with the upper hollow housing member thereon in section;

5 is a similar viewpo'l the rack and hollow housing members, raised toits limiting position with respect to the lower one, and

Fig. 6 is an edge view o'j the same with the parts in the same position.

1 have shown the jack as formed with a pressed metal casing l0 having a base 11 with upturned sides 9 on which this casing is fixed or forming a part of the same. The casing is provided with a hollow upright part 12 which constitutes a guide open at the top. This guide may be ot any desired shape but I have shown it square in cross section with a guide 13 extending vertically from the top to the bottom along one side. 1t is provided with a groove 11i extending along inside it from the bottom to a position near the top inside the guide.

The other part of the casing 10 constitutes a housing for any desired form of gear and worm or ratchet mechanism, the latter being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. I have shown a well known type or ratchet mechanism operated by handle 15 which i'its in a socket 1G pivoted on a stud 17. The ratchet l mechanism shown includes two pawls 18 and 19 with a trip 2O for shifting them as the handlegoes up and down and a lever 21 for changing the position oi' the spring 2O so as to cause the raclr to be raised or lowered in accordance with the position of this detent. This ratchet mechanism is old and well known in this art, therefore the operation and construction will not be described in full. It can be replaced by a worm or other mechanism for operating a rack.

Slidably mounted in the upright 12 isa hollow upright member or housing 22 of square form fitting in the guide 12. This for-m` their functions. Also located along the rear side of this hollowsquare section-22 on the interior is a vertical guide slot 26. This extends from the bottomwhere it is open to a point near the top which constitutes a stop.

Inside this-squarehousing member 22 isa similar` housing member 28, J4die four sides of which are fiat and which-issquare incross section. On the-rear side there is astop guide 29 near the bottom movable in the slot 2G and constituting a stop toprevent this member froml risingout ofthe member 22 in which it is contained. This member also has an opening 30'at the-bottom of the rear to register with/the opening 25. when the parts are collapsed. Its front side has an opening 33 from a point near the iop clear through to the bottom-for admitting the pa-wls.

Inside this member 28 slides the top housing-*member 31 of the rack if there are to be only three sections. I have shown this top member as formed like the others of pressed metal, square and U-shaped in cross section, andhavng an. opening 32 in the'back regis- 5. tering withr the openings 25 andBObut it can be m-ade in other ways as will be described. The three housing members 22, 28- and 31 constitute a telescoping housing for the flexible rack to hold. itr rig-idly.

This top-member is provided with a rack section; 3,5. This rack can. be in a single rigid pieceof metal fromthe top 0f the member 31 but at a; point near thebottom` the lower part of the rack which is located in this member consists of a separate hinged link 36 in the present form having two rack teeth on it. This is hinged' tothe bottom of the rigid rack section 35 by a centrall link 37 pivoted in two places and permits of this link swinging out backwardly through the opening 32.

It will be seen that the several openings 25, 30. and 32, when they three members of the device are telescoped into the lowest position of the jack as indicated in Fig. 1, provide a space through.v which the link can swing out backwardly. It will be understeod,r of course, that this top section can be made without anyV externalf casing byl using the rack,r 35-itself asthe entire section but in the form shown thisrackis riveted to thesection or easing31 and anyway it forms a unitary piece which supports` the work resty 50.-

The rest of' the rack below` the rigid top section 351 is made upA of a` number of other pinoli-ed links 361jiust like the one described to,

in the accompanying drawings.

The links 36 are all' of the same. width as the rigid section 35. and are capable of passing freely through the member 28. The links 39r are wider than the links 36 so that they fit within the interior ofthe member 22. Furthermore, they project back of the sections 36y at 38 so that when raised far enough the/top link 39 will engage under the bottom edge of the member 28 which is cut out at 30- to form'. ano-peiling. These links willpass up into the opening and tothe top thereof. This constitutes a stopte limit the descent of thisv member 28 and provides for lifting thismember by the fieXible rack. Thelinks 39 terminate in a bottom link 40 which can be forced up into the outside housing member 22, and project-s to lift; the member 22.

@n the back side ofthe jack there is pivoted about a pivot 43 on an extension 44 of the casing a square receiver 45 for the flexibley rack. rlhis is capable of beingv swung through an angle of o as indicated in` Fig. 1v a'n-d-isprovided' with an opening at the joint to permit of this motion and with a plate 46 pifvoted` at 47 to move with the receiver and guided in-af chamber 48 on the top wallv thereof. At the. bot-tom of the Vcasing is a deflector 49 in fixedy position for deflecting the pivoted links of the rack backwardly into the receiver 45 when it lies in horizontal position as shownfin Fig. 1.

In operation it will be seen that the top of the rack is rigid by construction while the flexible part of it that is adjacent to the pawlsis always-held rigidly in the telescopingf housing which has been described and which expands and contacts with the rack. The lowerpart of thev rack may be loo-se and flexible aand located in the-receiver 45-but any part of it that is in vertical position where it can beengaged by thepawls is just as rigid as if the parts were in one piece. The sectionsarehel-d'so bythe housing in which they arel'ocatedzandfby the-fact that as constructed. the rack-canr befbent in one direction-only. It is rigid'in three directions and can swing in no direction: except backwardly'.. These housings are all sol-id on; the back except for the three openings through which the' links of the racks.y can swing-l backwardly at the bottom. Assuming the rack to-V be raised as shown in Figs. 5' and 6, thedetent' 21 is turned to permit the pawls to lower they rack as the handle is vibrated'.. When the rack comes to a low enough position Vthe bottom link 40 engages the deflector 49 and swings backwardly through the opening 25. It cannot move in any other direction because the rack is being lowered by the weight applied to the work rest 50 and there is no otherl direction in which this botto-m link can move. Its front lower edge is rounded off to facilitate this motion. Having been started in this way, the rest of the links 39 will be guided backwardly around on the deliector 49 as the rack is lowered by the action of the pawls and the. lo-ad upon it.

When the rack has been lowered enough so that the top housing member 31 is practically almost entirely within the second member 28 the work rest 50 will come in contact with the top of the. member 28 and theV further downward motion of the rack will bring these two members Q8 and 3l down with it positively, the flexible links passing all the time into the receiver 45. This operation continues until all the links 36 and 39 have swung out backwardly through the openings 25, 30 andV 32 against the defiector 49 and then swung backwardly from the rigid part 35 of the rack.

IVhen the parts are in this position, the jack is collapsed to its lowest position which in the present case is about a third the length of the rack, although it can be multiplied within reasonablelimits. The two flexible sections of the rack extend clear to the end Iof the receiver 45. The receiver is nouI swung up on the pivot 43 to the dotted line position in Fig. l. The cover plate 46, which is used to keep out dirt and dustl as well as moisture, is received in the guide 48 which iis a part of the receiver and the parts occupy no more space vertically than an ordinary old fashioned rigid ratchet jack and no more floor space than that jack plus the area of the receiver 45.

The casing can be made of a casting or pressed metal and the latter can be used economically for the telescoping housing members22, 28' and 3l and the casing 45. The member 3l can be eliminated by making the top rigid section 35 of the rack serve its purpose. The whole construction is almost as simple as the ordinary rigid rack jacks and the cost of manufacture is very little greater. Yet, with less minimum height, it can be `made to raise a load two or three. times higher.

Although I have illustrated and described only one forml of the invention I am aware of the fact that modifications can be madetherein by any person skilled in the art with out departing from lthe scope ofthe invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein shown and described,

ibut what I do claim is:

1. In a lifting jack, the combination of a series of telescoping hollow members, anda flexible rack lhoused in the telescoping hollow members with means for raising the top of the rack above said hollow members.

2. In a lifting jack, the combination of a casing having a guide, a series of telescoping hollow members movable therein, and a flexible rack housed in the telescoping hollow members made up of pivoted links, one of which projects beyond the others above it to engage the bottom o-f one of said hollow members to cause it to rise with the rack.

3. In a lifting jack, the combination of a casing having a guide, a seriesfof telescoping hollow members movable therein, and a flexible rack housed in the telescoping hollow members, one of the links of which projects laterally beyond the others above it to engage the bottom of one of said hollow members to cause it to rise with the rack.

4. In a lifting jack, the combination of a series of telescoping hollow members constituting a guide, anda flexible rack therein, each of said hollow members having a side opening near the bottom registering with each other when the members are lowered to allow the parts of the'rack to be discharged laterally through the openings at a point above the bottoms of the hollow members as Jthe rack is lowered. ,y

' 5. In la. lifting jack, the combination with a casing having a vertical guide, a hollow member fitting in and slidable up and down in said guide, a rack comprising a rigid section at the top and pivoted links connected with the bottom of the rigid section and movable up and down in the guide and hollow member in which they lit, whereby the guide and hollow member keep the flexible part ofY member fitting in and slidable up and down in said guide, a rack comprising pivotally connected links movable up and down in the guide and hollow member and fitting against the internal surfaces thereof, and means cooperating with the rackfor raising and lowering it.

7. In a lifting jack, the combination with a casing having avertica-l guide, a hollow member of the same shape as said guide mov; able up and down therein, a second hollow member fitting and movable up and down in the first hollow member constitutingv a telescoping support, a flexible rack fitting in the inner hollow member and made up of a plurality of individually connected links held from lateral motion by said: inner hollow .8.' In a lifting jack, the combination with Boi toil

a; casing hav-ingr ai vertical guide; a hollow member of the same shape; as; saibl'; guide movable vup and. downi therein, a second hollow member fitting and? movable up;

y down. in the first hollow' member: consti'tiiting a: telescoping support, ai rack fittingin said hollow members and; hafvinganz upper rigid section andmade u iatthe bottoniof: a; plural-ity of individually connected seciaons,

' means for preventing eaclr hollow member from being lifted out of. the one below, andV means vcci-operating with the raclnfor raisingy the rigid sectionin tl'iefcasiiigtoy azpoizntabonei the top of the second hol-lowmember.

9L In a. lifting jack, the combination. withi a casing having a, vertical' guide, a hollow member of: the same shape as said guide mov.4m able up and down therein', a second? hollow` member fitting andi. movable up andl downi in. the first hollow' member constituting a; telescoping support, a racki fitting hollow members and-having an upper rigid section.y adapted' to rise abovetheupper hollowY member a distance substantially eqiia'l to;the-

height thereof,` andcmade iipatthe bottom ofa:

a. casing. havingk a vertical guide', ai flexible rack therein, means cooperating with:i thel rack for raising aiidlloweringfitfiir the guide, a deflector at the-bottomsof'the `rack for moving the lower` flexible sections of the. rack; rearwardly in the casing,v and a. receiver piv-oted to the bottom of the casing andi capable of lyingy in a horizontal positionztoreceive the flexible rack when itV islowered, said receiver being movable toa vertical position against the casing' with the flexible rack therein.

12.V lnalifting jack, the combination of ai a casing having a vertical guide, a flexible rack therein, means cooperating with: the rack fior raising'anldlbweringf it inthe guide,

: and a receiver capable of lying in a horizon;-

tal position to receive the flexible'rack. when. it isf lowered, said; receiverbeing movable? tof. an upright position with. the flexible rack therein.

13.. In' aV lifting'jackg. thefcombin'ation of' a casi ngfhaving'avertical guide, a: flexible rack therei-mnieans co-opera.ting=with theraclr'ior raising` and'. lowering'it in the gu'ide,. a reL ceiver pivoted to the; bottom of the casing andi capable of lying in a horizontal position Leemans to receive theftexiblefracli, saidreceiverbeing capable yof being moved toy a vertical position; adjacent. to the casing with the flexible rack therein,.andi acover for the space between. the receiver and. the casing foldable intothe receiver when. it is folded upv intovertical-i position.V

14. Ina liiting-jack,tli.e combination. of a.

casing having a verticali guide, a flexible rack therein, means: cooperating with the rackfor raising and lowering it in the guide, and a. receiver pivotedrto the bottom of the casing and capable of lying in a horizontal position to receive the flexible rack, said receiver being capable -ofbeing swung to a vertical position acont-' tothe casing with'- the flexible rackLtherein.

1.5. hn. a lifting jack,.t'hel combination with a. plurality of'4 hollow members in telescoping relation and fitting each other toprevent reliative lateral motion, of.` a rack` comprising a.

series: of' links pivotally connected in. alignnient inside said hollow members, said: links having a continuous series of teeth along one side, pawl mechanism located at one side of the telescoping members for raising and. lowering the rack, and meanswhereby the eXtension of the rack will carry some of said tele-k scoping'members with it part way.

16. ln ar liftingjack, the combination with.

a plurality of hollow members in telescoping relation` and fittingeacli othervto prevent rel.-

ative lateral. motion, of arack comprising av series of links.` pi'votall'y' connected in alignment inside vsaid hollow members, said links. having a. continuous series of. teeth along oneside, and.y means located at one' side of. the

telescoping hollow members and: projecting within them. for operating the rack.

117'.. In a lifting jack, the combination with a. plurality of hollowy members in telescoping relation and fitting eachother to prevent relV` ative laterali motion, of' a; rack comprising a series of links pivotally connected in align'- ment inside s-ai'df hollow members, said links having a continuous seriesof teeth along one' side', pawl" mechanism located? at one side of. the telescop'ing members-for raisingand. lowering the rack, and means for operating 'the rackk by; means of' said' teeth, the linksl all be ing pivote'd together alongone edge, whereby they canswingl away from each other in one direction only.

18. In a lifting'jack', the combinatioiiwi'th: a pluiral-itv' of hollow members in. telescoping fitting each other to prevent rel@ relation and ative laterali motion, of ai rack comprising a series of links pivotal-'ly' connected 1n alignment inside saidhollow'ineinbers, said links having a continuoiisseries-` of'teeth. along one side, pawl4 mechanism. located: at onel side of thetelescopingmembersfor raising and lowering the rack, and: means for operating the rack..

19. A lifting jack comprising'amainbody,

a strut vertically movable in said main body and comprising two members articulated together upon a lateral articulation, a vertically movable stitfener member slidably associated with the strut and telescopically supported in the main body, said strut and stit'fener member havin inter-engaging parts such that vertical movementof the strut Will produce vertical movement of the stiffener member, and means by which said strut may be elevated relative to the main body.

20. A lifting jack comprising a main body, a. strut movably mounted in said main body and comprising; two members articulated together upon a lateral articulation, a stiifener clement slidably mounted in the main body and telescoped upon the strut adjacent its articulation, al lost motion connection between the structure and stiiener element by which the stiffener element may be projected When the articulation moves beyond the main body and means by which the strut may be projected from the main body.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ALVIN L. JOHNSON. 

